• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.115-123
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• 2009

Grazing effects of a freshwater bivalve, Unio douglasiae, on both the phytoplankton communities of cold- and warm eutrophic lakes were examined in aquarium with sediment. The animal U. douglasiae used in the study was collected from the Gunsan (Jeonbuk), acclimatized in laboratory aquaria with washed sand from the mussel collection stream, and starved for $2{\sim}3$ days by the experiment. Grazing experiments were performed with the surface waters collected from Lake Ilgam (Seoul) in the cold period (March 31, 2008), and the warm period (June 19, 2008), respectively. Results clearly showed that the concentration of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) and algal abundance were decreased with the increase of mussel-treated density and treated-time. At the same animal density, U. douglasiae effectively decreased the chl-a of cold-lake water (CW), compared to warm-lake water (WW). Increasing the mussel density, the filtering rate (or algal abundance) of the mussel on the CW gradually decreased, while those of WW did not increase or decrease. Major phytoplankton species Synedra ulna and Stephanodiscus hantzschii, and Scenedesmus ecornis in CW, and those of Tetraedron regulare and Pediastrum simplex in WW, were quickly decreased after the mussel stocking. Interestingly, cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in WW, not dominant species, were less removed. These results suggest that a freshwater bivalve U. douglasiae have a strategic potential to control dense hibernal diatom or green algae, rather than the cyanobacterial bloom in eutrophic water.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.108-114
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• 2015

Single - and combined effects of a domestic freshwater bivalve Unio douglasiae (7.6~8.6 cm in shell length) and zooplankton Daphnia magna (1~2 mm in body size) were examined to understand whether they inhibit the growth of harmful cyanobacterial bloom (i.e. Microcystis aeruginosa) in a eutrophic lake. The experiments were triplicated with twelve glass aquaria (40 L in volume); three aquaria without mussel and zooplankton, served as a control, three zooplankton aquaria (Z, density=40 indiv. $L^{-1}$), three mussel aquaria (M, density=0.5 indiv. $L^{-1}$), and three mussel plus zooplankton aquarium (ZM, density=40 indiv.Z $L^{-1}$ plus 0.5 indiv.M/L), respectively. Algal growth inhibition (%) calculated as a difference in the concentration of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) before and after treatment. Chl-a in all aquaria decreased with the time, while a greatest algal inhibition was seen in the ZM aquaria. After 24 hrs of incubation, Chl-a concentration at the mid-depth (ca. 15 cm) in ZM aquaria reduced by 90.8% of the control, while 63.2% and 79.8% in Z and M aquaria, respectively. Interestingly, during the same period, the surface Chl-a was diminished by 51.9% and 65.4% relative to the control in Z and ZM aquaria, while 27.4% of initial concentration decreased in M aquarium, respectively. These results suggest that 1) this domestic freshwater filter-feeding bivalve plays a significant role in the control of cyanobacterial bloom (M. aeruginosa), and 2) the combination with zooplankton and mussel has a synergistic effect to diminish them, compared to the single treatment of zooplankton and mussel.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2018

Stable isotope tracers were first applied to evaluate the Microcystis cell assimilation efficiency of bivalves, since the past identification method has been limited to tracking the changes of each chl-a, clearity, and nutrient. The filter-feeders (Sinanodonta woodiana and Unio douglasiae) were assessed under the condition of cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) blooms through an in mesocosm experiment using $^{13}C$ and $^{15}N$ dual isotope tracers. chl-a concentration in the treatment mesocosm was dramatically decreased after the beginning of the second day, ranging from 116 to $66{\mu}g\;L^{-1}$. In addition, the incorporated $^{13}C$ and $^{15}N$ atom % in the S. woodiana bivalve showed higher values than U. douglasiae bivalves. The results demonstrate that U. douglasiae has less capacity to assimilate toxic cyanobacteria derived from diet. Our results therefore also indicate that S. woodiana can eliminate the toxin more rapidly than U. douglasiae, having a larger detoxification capacity.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.237-246
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• 2008

Filtration rates and fecal production of freshwater bivalve, Unio douglasiae on two kinds of hibernal diatom communities were measured simultaneously in a laboratory. One community is the Han River (HAN), which dominated by Asterionella Formosa. Stephanodiscus hantzschii (ca. 98% of total phytoplankton). The other community is the Ilgam Lake (IL), which dominated by Synedra ulna, Scenedesmus sp. Microcystis aeruginosa (ca. 82%). The HAN water has higher concentrations of nutrient (TN and TP) and chlorophyll $\alpha$ (Chl-$\alpha$), lower turbidity and conductivity than the IL water. Water sampling for the feeding experiment was conducted in the same day (Jan 15, 2008) and similar time (AM 10:00 for HAN, AM 11:00 for IL). Mussels with the similar size ($0.0{\pm}0.5\;cm$) were collected from the Gunsan and Okgu district (Jeonbuk), and starved in a laboratory for 2 days before the experiment. The experiment comprised CON (no addition of mussel), LOW (addition of mussel at 0.3 indiv. $L^{-1}$), MID (1.0 indiv. $L^{-1}$) and HIGH (2.0 indiv. $L^{-1}$), respectively. With the increment of mussel density and time, the concentration of Chl-$\alpha$ in two diatom communities were clearly decreased; Chl-$\alpha$ of HAN gradually decreased after 1 hour of mussel treatment, while that of IL decreased as soon as mussel introduction. In 7 hours of treatment, the former was removed finally up to about 90% of control, while the later was remained as about 50%. Under the presence of mussel, total phytoplankton density was shifted as the similar patterns to that of Chl-$\alpha$ (r=0.705, P<0.0001), however, there showed the drastic differences following a species. Based on the concentration of Chl-$\alpha$, filtration rate of U. douglasiae averaged 0.266 $L\;g^{-1}\;h^{-1}$ (0.115 to 0.442) on HAN and $0.577\;L\;g^{-1}\;h^{-1}$ (0.146 to 1.428) on IL water, respectively. There were no differences in feces production among the mussel density in the HAH water (ANOVA, P>0.5), while in IL water, including lots of seston, the HIGH mussel produced the higher fecal materials, over one hundred times of LOW. These results suggest that freshwater bivalve Unio douglasiae have the alternative potential, as a filter-feeder of seston in turbid lake, and a biological controller of diatom bloom in cold stream.